The home of Thomas Hardy - Hardy Country, Dorset

Hardy's Cottage, the birthplace in 1840 of novelist and poet Thomas Hardy , at Higher Brockhampton, near Dorchester, Dorset

Few authors have such strong associations with the natural and cultural heritage of their local area as Thomas Hardy.

His semi-fictional Wessex - inspired by the landscape surrounding Dorchester - was the setting for many of his novels, short stories and poetry. Hardy Country is home to his birthplace; a small cob and thatch cottage built by his father; and a short journey away is Max Gate, the red brick villa designed by Hardy himself.